‘Embrace challenge, take risks, provide value’: Benjamin Adams, drone developer, technology entrepreneur

Flexing your entrepreneurship/innovation muscles

At Iowa State, I have spent time at the Entrepreneur Club, and I have been involved with three different technology startups.

Do you have a startup or business?

At OAVAO Technologies, we design and prototype drones for companies looking to leverage drone hardware to increase revenue and profitability.

Domestic manufacturing regulations are shifting drone development back to the states, but the cost to produce tech from circuit level design to flight is not worth the time for a majority of companies. The knowledge and infrastructure are too expensive, but buying something already designed limits your customization.

We make it simple: define your use case, leave behind the big R&D overhead, and receive your prototype for live testing. By using high-end, modular components, we deliver industrial, AI-enabled hardware that is simple to use.

Value of Iowa State’s innovation/entrepreneurial resources

Iowa State has provided a great community of entrepreneurs to bounce ideas off of and inspire one another to pursue ambitious goals with a purposeful heart. The knowledge from staff is incredible, and there are plenty of opportunities to get funding for your idea, if you’re willing to work for it.

Taking this mindset into your career

I plan to do entrepreneurship full time, and the core of entrepreneurship is really this: Find what someone thinks is valuable and find a way to deliver it to them. Embrace the challenge of knowing people and recognizing opportunity and then don’t be afraid to take a risk. I hope to embody that not just in my career but in my life overall: embrace challenge, take appropriate risk, and provide value to others.

How do you hope to change the world?

For me, entrepreneurship presents an opportunity to love people in a unique way. As a Christian, I believe that God calls us to holistically love the people around us, share the good news of the Gospel with them, and provide physically for those in need. My work as an entrepreneur will allow me to embrace people in all three of those ways: spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

When you first saw yourself as an innovator/entrepreneur

By the time I was 14, I had started and failed a lawn mowing business, a window washing business, and selling rainbow loom bracelets and homemade bookmarks at the local farmer’s market. The spark I had then has matured into the purpose I live out now. There isn’t a moment I began to think of myself as an entrepreneur. I’ve always believed I am one.